I.  Key Questions:

• Is everybody obligated to ministry in the City?
• If not everybody, then what is our responsibility?
• What constitutes a “call” to the City?
• Can only ministers fulfill the “call”?
• How do we prioritize the needs of the City?
• Where and how do we get information about the City?
• Is this the Church’s work, or do we go solo?
• What preparation, skills, and personal characteristics are necessary to do ministry in the City? 

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II.  To Prepare: Biblical Study

Read the first two chapters of Nehemiah, asking yourself these questions:

• What motivated Nehemiah, hundreds of miles away, to care for the city of Jerusalem?
• What was his first reaction on hearing the news about the condition of Jerusalem?
• Detail the events that motivated Nehemiah to leave town for Jerusalem.
• Why would Nehemiah use “secular” resources to do a holy task?
• What was the first thing Nehemiah did when he came to the city of Jerusalem?
• Why did he start with repairing the walls? What might the walls symbolize?
• What was his strategy for getting the locals in Jerusalem to engage in the repair?
• How would you compare Ezra with Nehemiah, both of whom engaged in the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem? (You might need to read some of Ezra and other materials in Nehemiah)
• How did they celebrate the work accomplished? (Look in both books)
• What message do you see in this story for your own engagement in urban ministry?

Continue with Session 3